Tuesday, February 19, 2013

The good news is that sometimes we are the problem. Not our
students. Us. If we stop to think about the things that go wrong in our classes,
lots of times a problem could have been avoided or at least minimized. If we
are the ones causing the problems, then we can be the ones to solve the problems.
It is much easier for us to control our own behaviors rather than the behaviors
of our most unruly students.

To help you with this, here is a little list that you can copy
and print out to help you reflect on what you may be doing to cause discipline
issues in your classroom and, more importantly, what you can do to solve those
issues.

Mistake 1

You are unclear in the limits you set for your students,
resulting in a constant testing of the boundaries and of your patience.

Mistake 2

You are too vague in giving directions to your students.

Mistake 3

You are inconsistent in enforcing consequences. This will
lead students to a steady testing of the limits of good and bad behaviors.

Mistake 4

You go to school each day without the belief you must have
in order to help your students succeed: that students can learn and achieve the
things you want for them.

Mistake 5

You overreact to a discipline problem by becoming angry and
upset.

Mistake 6

You refuse to listen to your students when they are trying
to express their feelings about a problem.

You give too many negative directions. This sets an
unpleasant tone for your students.

Mistake 9

You try to solve discipline problems without trying to
determine the underlying causes.

Mistake 10

You neglect to command attention. Teachers who talk even
though students aren’t listening are not productive.

Mistake 11

You have lessons that are poorly paced. Students either have
too much work to do and give up or they don’t have enough work. You also make
this mistake when you have lectures that are so long that you can’t keep your
students’ attention throughout.

Mistake 12

You make mistakes in assigning punishment by doing so
without proof or by blaming the wrong student.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Highly effective teachers soon realize that no
one is a natural teacher. No educator can just
rush through the hurly burly of a school day paying cursory attention to what
we are expected to accomplish and then expect to be successful. Reflecting on
our teaching should be part of every aspect of our professional lives. Such
reflection needs to systematic, methodical, and purposeful.

Whether you choose to maintain a journal online, in a computer desktop folder,
on paper, or even in an audio version, it is important to be diligent about
recording regularly. The questions below can help you use the time that you
want to reflect on your teaching practice as efficiently as possible.

Are my
goals for lessons reasonable and appropriate?

Are my
students challenged to do their best?

Do
students learn what they are supposed to master? How can I ensure that
they always do this?

At what
points in a lesson do I have to change strategies or activities? Why? How
productive was this flexibility on my part?

How can
I offer remediation or enrichment activities to the students who need
them?

What
data do I need to collect before moving on to the next unit of study? How
can I gather this information?

What
can I do to improve my skills at collaborating with colleagues?

How do
I want my students to interact with each other as a whole group?

What
can I do to help my students collaborate with each other in small groups?

How can
I integrate technology into my lessons?

What
problems did I have to manage today? How well did I manage those problems?

How
well do I listen to my students? What can I do to make sure that I model
good listening skills?

Which
students were off task? What caused them to be off task?

When
were my students on task? What can I do to guarantee that continues?

How did
I show that I was enthusiastic about the subject matter?

How can
I foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and courtesy among my students?

How
well do I manage my classroom? What can I improve?

What
should I do to help my students learn to be self-disciplined learners?

How can
I use my strengths as a teacher to full advantage in my classroom?

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

“Best practices” is a term that seems to be kicked around
lots in discussions among educators. Although we all may have a general idea of
what the term means (the actions that teachers can take to insure that their
instruction is effective, appropriate, and productive), and that we should be
using these practices to help our students learn, you may not be sure that an
instructional method that you are using is really a best practice or not.

With this
in mind, take this little assessment. Below you will find a list of just some
of the more common strategies that are considered to be best practices. If you
are already using one of these practices in your classroom, place a checkmark
in the blank before it. If you intend to use one of these in the future, place
a + in the blank. If you would like to research to learn more about one of
these best practices to make sure that it would be appropriate for your
students, place a ? in the blank.